Isha Vidhya is participating in the India Giving Challenge 2014, a fundraising initiative of Give India, to raise funds for the construction of 47 classrooms, labs and the purchase of learning materials. Support our educational efforts in rural India by donating at our iGive page and spreading the word about our work.

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Praveen’s mother, Kuppamma, works as a sweeper in Indian Bank, Villupuram, earning a paltry sum of Rs.600 a month. His father is a daily wage earner and considers himself fortunate if he gets to work for 15 days in a month. Their combined income is hardly sufficient to feed the family of four, including Praveen’s brother who studies in a government school.

Praveen, student at Isha Vidhya, Villupuram.

Kuppamma remembers when she first brought Praveen to Isha Vidhya, full of skepticism about this school that was offering sponsored English medium education for her son. She remembers thinking – “I don’t want anything except to see that this boy grows up well, and does not suffer the poverty that we are in.”

For many parents in rural India, this simple dream remains unfulfilled. They simply don’t have the wherewithal to provide this opportunity to the next generation.

Five years have gone by. Many people have helped. A lot of things have changed with Praveen in the meantime. He now mingles joyfully with his classmates, participates in class activities, and loves to play in the playground with his friends. He is a vibrant boy with shining eyes full of dreams; dreams about a future with good education, ample opportunity and a caring family that he wants to support.